Textile spindle



Oct. 20, 1970 D. L. BLAKE 3,534,917

TEXTILE SPINDLE Filed Aug. 16, 1968 INVENTOR DONALD LBLAKE ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,534,917 Patented Oct. ,A 197D 3,534,917 TEXTILE SPINDLE Donald L. Blake, Campton, N.H., assignor to North American Rockwell Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 753,232 Int. Cl. B65h 75/30 U.S. Cl. 242-46.21 4 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A textile spindle adapted to support a bobbin for rotation while building a yarn package thereon having a resilient replaceable tip portion for maintaining the bobbin in driving relation with the spindle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to textile spindles adapted to be supported in an upright position on the rail or frame of spinning or twisting machines. More particularly the invention relates to an improved top drive for maintaining a bobbin in driving relation with its respective spindle during rotation thereof and while building a yarn package on said bobbin.

The well known ltfype of top drive spindles are made with a tapered tip which is adapted to communicate with the drive section of a bobbin when the latter is assem- 'bled thereon.

The bearing surface of the drive section of bobbins have been made with various degrees of taper, that is to say, the top ts range from a line fit up to and including a tive eighths inch conforming fit. With wooden bobbins, which are by far the most common type in use, mills are continually submitting complaints on the known type of top drives which they consider quite serious and impractical from an economical standpoint.

Wtih the line lit type of drive, bobbins are known to rise on their respective spindles when driven at high speeds and when such a condition occurs the driving action is immediately lost.

The various forms of drive lits wear in as the Wood bearing surface of a bobbin is compressed and the bobbins drop accordingly on their spindles resulting in undesired lower bobbin seats. The mixing of new and old Ibobbins together results in different bobbin seats on the same spinning frame.

With bobbins having a very close line fit, the drive section wears in much more quickly than those of conforming iit thereby permitting said bobbins to seat lower on their respective spindles. The greater the length of the drive section of a bobbin the more diicult it is to doll due to the area of contact of the conforming lit.

Mills have complained of 'both diiicult dofiing and uneven bobbin seats and frequently change from one type of t to another in order to correct these conditions. Additionally a further common complaint is that of excessive wear of the spindles at the drive iit location.

It is considered quite costly to buy new or to re-Work worn spindles, to dofr bobbins at less than the desired speed or to put less of a lling package on those bobbins which are seating lower than designed due to wear of the drive section.

The textile spindle according to the instant invention has eliminated the above disadvantages by providing a replaceable and compressible tip member for holding a bobbin in driving relation with its respective spindle. Additionally, this spindle includes a shoulder at the junction of the tip member and the blade portion of the spindle upon which the lower portion of the bobbins drive section rests, and

provides uniform bobbin seats for both new and old bobbins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The textile spindle of the present invention does not include the conventional tapered tip portion which is adapted to communicate with the internal drive section of a bobbin. This portion of the spindle is removed leaving a round flat planar surface into which a centrally disposed threaded hole is formed. The threaded hole is adapted to receive the threaded end of a replaceable tip member fabricated fromf such material as nylon, Delrin or the like. The end of the replaceable tip opposite the threaded end is slotted and being larger in diameter than the internal drive section of a bobbin, it is caused tol compress when a bobbin is placed in operating position Aupon a spindle. The biasing force of the compressed slotted end of the tip continually bearing against the inner walls of the driving section of the bobbin holds the latter in driving relation with the spindle. The driving section of the bobbin is smaller in diameter than the spindle blade and the lower end of said section is caused to seat on the peripheral edge of the round planar surface of the spindle referred to above, thereby providing uniform seating for all bobbins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view in elevation and partially in section of a spindle according to the invention showing a iilling bobbin assembled thereon.

FIG. 2 is a view in exploded form showing a portion of a bobbin and spindle with the latters replaceable tip disposed therebetween, and FIG. 3 is a view of a portion of the assembly in FIG. 1 showing the shouldered portion of the spindle upon which the lower end of a bobbins drive section is caused to seat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 only those components of a spinning apparatus have been shown which are required vfor a description of the invention, including principally a textile spindle generally indicated by numeral 10 having a filling bobbin 11 assembled thereon. This textile spindle includes such known elements as the spindle portion 12, whorl 13, acorn 14 and spindle blade 15.

As shown in FIG. 2 the upper end of the spindle blade 15 defines a ilat planar surface 16. The spindle blade 15 also includes a centrally disposed and axially aligned threaded hole 17 which communicates with the planar surface 16. A replaceable tip member 1-8 having a bulbous configuration is threaded at one end, as at 19, and is adapted to be assembled in the threaded hole 17. The opposite end of this tip member 18` is slotted as at 20` and permits this end of said tip member to be compressed when it enters the drive section or top drive bore 21 of a bobbin.

The bobbin 11 has a centrally disposed bore 22 which extends for a greater portion of the length of the bobbin and extends in axial alignment therefrom. Bore 22 is The top drive bore 21 communicates with the bore 22 and extends in axial alignment therefrom. Bore 22 is of great diameter than the blade 15 which is receivable therein and provides a clearance between the blade 15 and the walls of said bore as is partially shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3. The top drive bore 21 is smaller in diameter than bore 22 and at the point of communication between the two defines a shoulder 23 (FIG. 3) which provides a seat for a bobbin on the peripheral edge of the blades flat planar surface 16.

In operation a 'bobbin is placed on the spindle blade 15 as shown in FIG. 1 and the latter is caused to rotate by means Well known to those conversant in the art. The bulbous portion of the replaceable tip has a larger diameter than that of the top drive bore 21 and when received into the latter the slot in said tip permits the bulbous portion to be compressed. The spring tension created by this compression holds the tip firmly against the walls of the top drive bore 21, thereby maintaining the bobbin in driving relation with the spindle 10. Additionally the shoulder 23` of the bo'bbin which is caused to seat on the peripheral edge of the blades at planar surface 16 provides uniform seating for either old or new filling bobbins.

I claim:

1. A textile spindle having a spindle blade on which a bobbin is adapted to be mounted for rotation with said spindle, said spindle blade including an end surface and a removable compressible tip member of bulbous configuration having one end thereof threaded for reception into a centrally disposed and axially aligned hole provided in said end surface thereby providing a top drive for maintaining a bobbin in driving relation with said textile spindle.

2. The spindle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said compressible tip member is fabricated from a resilient plastic material and includes a bifurcated end portion dening opposed sides adapted to bear against the inner Wall of the bobbin tohold the latter in driving relation With said spindle.

3. The combination with a textile spindle having a spindle blade on which a bobbin is mounted for rotation with said spindle, said spindle blade including an end surface with an axially aligned compressible tip member removably attached thereto, a portion of the length of said bobbin including a centrally disposed rst bore of larger diameter than said blade through Which the latter is adapted to extend and a second bore in continuation of and axially aligned With said first bore having a diameter less than said compressible tip member, the junction of said first and second bores in said bobbin defning a shouldered surface for seating said bobbin upon the peripheral edges of said end surface with said com)- pressible tip member being adapted to be pressed into said second bore for holding said bobbin in driving relation with said spindle.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said compressible tip member is resilient and includes an axially bifurcated end portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,777 12/1909 Cunnil 242-466 2,417,525 3/1947 Smith. 2,773,346 12/1956 Childs et al. 242-462 X 2,922,274 1/1960 Sacchini 242-46.21 X 3,074,227 1/ 1963 Fujiyoshi et al. 57-130 FOREIGN PATENTS 155,218 2/ 1954 Australia.

732,'545 3/ 1943 Germany.

743,988 1/ 1944 Germany.

823,118 11/1951 Germany.

493,734 10/ 1938 Great Britain.

974,732 1/ 1964 Great Britain.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

